Overview
- Germany, which beat Curaçao 7-1 on Sunday, took the lead through Felix Nmecha then responded after a Livano Comenencia equaliser with goals by Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz (penalty and late strike), Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav.
- Coach Julian Nagelsmann reinstated veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for the start, and Neuer completed his international comeback despite conceding an early deflected shot that found the net.
- Oliver Baumann was demoted to the backup role but received public praise from DFB chief Andreas Rettig for his professional handling of the decision.
- Coaches and commentators warned that Curaçao—making its World Cup debut and ranked well below top teams—is a weak benchmark and that the real tests come in Germany’s group games on June 20 and June 25.
- The match highlighted Germany’s attacking depth and impact substitutes, most notably debutant Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav, while leaving some defensive issues and consistency to monitor as the tournament progresses.